In SAP Business One: A time period during the planned Working time of an employee when the employee is not working for the company, either on or off company premises.
Absence management in SAP Business One refers to the systematic recording, documentation and tracking of employee absences within a company, which as an integral part of personnel administration fulfils both legal requirements and forms the basis for capacity planning and project management.
Context and area of application
Absence management is primarily used in the HR departments of medium-sized companies. There, HR departments record all employee absences, be it holidays, sick days, training or other reasons for absence. Project managers also use this information for realistic resource planning, while controlling uses the data for analyses and key business figures. In modern ERP systems such as SAP Business One, absence management is directly linked to the employee master data, which ensures centralised and consistent data management.
Typically, the function not only documents pure absence times, but also the associated authorisation processes. As a result, line managers can see who authorised an absence and when this was done. In addition, absence management enables the creation of structured reports that provide management with a quick overview of the absence rate. This is particularly relevant for companies in the service sector, where the precise time tracking directly influences capacity utilisation and profitability.
Differentiation from related terms
Although absence management is closely linked to the time tracking The two functions are fundamentally different. While time recording documents the actual hours worked, absence management focuses exclusively on absences. Nevertheless, the two systems are often interlinked, as time sheets record both attendance and absence.
Furthermore, absence management from the Public holiday calendar must be distinguished. The public holiday calendar defines company-wide or country-specific public holidays on which work is generally not carried out. Although this information is included in the calculation of available working days, it does not affect the absence of individual employees. Rather, these are general company holidays.
Finally, absence management differs from the more comprehensive Human Resources overall. Human resources includes numerous other functions such as payroll accounting, personnel development, applicant selection and employee appraisals. Absence management is just one part of this overall function, but is essential for correct payroll accounting and personnel planning.
Practical application and examples
In practice, absence management usually works as follows: An employee requests leave or calls in sick. The manager responsible checks the request and authorises the absence. This approval is documented in the system, with the "Approved by" field recording the name of the approving employee. Reports can then be generated that show, for example, how many days of holiday an employee has already taken or the average sickness rate in a department.
Absence management is particularly important for capacity planning. When a company is planning a major project, it must take into account which employees are available and when. The recorded absence data helps to create realistic schedules and recognise bottlenecks at an early stage. The function also supports the controlling department in analysing absence trends, which can indicate problems in certain departments or employee satisfaction.
Special features and restrictions
The absence management functions are not equally available in all countries and localisations. For example, SAP Business One does not offer corresponding absence management settings for the Russia and Ukraine localisations. Companies operating in these regions must therefore implement alternative solutions or fall back on manual documentation methods.
In addition, absence management is subject to strict data protection regulations. As absence information is personal data, companies must ensure that only authorised persons have access to this sensitive information. Modern ERP systems offer tools for GDPR-compliant management and deletion of data, especially when employees leave the company.
Benefits for medium-sized companies
Structured absence management offers several advantages for SMEs. Firstly, it creates transparency about the availability of the workforce, which forms the basis for well-founded decisions. It also enables compliance with statutory documentation requirements and facilitates co-operation with social security institutions. Finally, it contributes to the optimisation of personnel costs by making patterns of absenteeism visible and thus enabling targeted measures to improve employee health or motivation.
Service description in the e-invoice: How much detail really needs to be included?
Verifactu in Spain: the new invoicing obligation
The e-invoicing regulations in Europe
Versino Financial Suite V09.2025 for SAP Business One
Accounting outsourcing: Why it pays off for SMEs
